Today's News

A Grayson County man died in a single-vehicle wreck when his pickup truck hit a tree near Elk Creek on Aug. 3.
Allen Wayne Brown, 44, of Elk Creek, lost control of his 2006 Chevrolet Silverado extended-cab pickup and ran off the right side of Comers Rock Road about 11 p.m. on Aug. 3. The driver overcorrected, crossed both lanes and struck a tree head-on.
Brown was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle, according to Virginia State Trooper Jerry Sowers.

To those who attend the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, Galax isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind.
When they say, “Do you remember that jam in the handicapped Porta-John at Galax?” they don’t mean the city, they mean the event.
(They not only once had a full band in the Porta-John, they also had dancers.)

HILLSVILLE — High school teachers cheered the notion that they could move back in after leaving the Carroll County Public Schools “system-wide convocation” and training session on Aug. 3.
On the first workday session, themed “We Are Family,” newly-minted Superintendent Strader Blankenship noted that school system employees lean on each other when they find a problem or face a deadline.

CANA — The Twin County Drug Task Force issued a search warrant at 53 Amazing Grace Lane in Cana last Thursday morning, as part of an investigation of methamphetamine manufacturing.
Authorities in clinical-looking white coveralls and breathing masks spread out meth-making items and ingredients on a tarp in front of the home, under the shade of a tree on the warm and sunny summer day.
Charged as a part of the investigation were father and son Roger Jessup Hiatt, 46, and Roger Ernest Hiatt, 25, who lived at the address.

RICHMOND — Gov. Bob McDonnell last month signed legislation intended to protect the property rights of Virginia citizens.
House Bill 5 and its companion Senate Bill 240 provide for a referendum for a constitutional amendment to protect private property rights on the Nov. 6, 2012 ballot.
Two other property rights bills signed by McDonnell, HB1035 and SB437, provide clear definitions for the terms “lost profits” and “lost access” and how to determine the amount of just compensation.

A college student is organizing an effort to raise clothing and school supplies to host a Back-to-School Bash on Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at Cornerstone Community Church in downtown Galax.
With many being unable to afford clothing and school supplies, Cornerstone Community Church member and Liberty University student Abigail Cox has spearheaded the event and recruited volunteers in order to help reach the physical needs of the community.

Registration for the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention has decreased for the second time in five years, and the second year in a row.
Contestants dropped from 1,909 last year to 1,833 for the contest that begins today, Monday. Last year, registration dropped from 2,004 contestants in 2010, the event's 75th anniversary.
The registration figures were released by the Galax Moose Lodge #733, organizers of the 77-year-old event.

Galax’s population will soar in the coming week, as thousands of fiddlin’ fans descend on the city.
Felts Park will open its gates at 7 a.m. Sunday for the 77th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention. The competition opens Monday night and lasts through Aug. 11.
Most of the convention’s expected 1,300 campers will show up Sunday to set up camp.
Locals who aren’t convention-bound should avoid the place altogether or choose alternate routes, Galax police advise.